Tag Archive: red

“Inari’s themes are death, kinship, ghosts, fertility and love. Her symbols are foxes, rice and the color red. Among the Japanese, Inari is invoked to bring a long life, blood-red being Her sacred hue. In death, She guides and protects faithful spirits. Portrayed as a vixen, Inari also has strong correlations with love, an emotion that survives even the grave. Rice is a common offering for Inari, as it is a crop to which She brings fertility.

The Obon is a festival for the dead in Japan, where people hold family reunions and religious rituals to honor their departed ancestors and dance to comfort the spirits. Thse observances are fairly easy to duplicate. Gather with friends or family and include rice cakes and fruit as part of your menu planning. Leave out an extra plater of food both for the spirits of the departed and to please Inari.

To increase Inari’s love in any relationship or to draw a lover to you, make this charm: Find a red-colored stone (agate is a good choice), or any red-colored piece of clothing. Put this under the light of a full moon to charge it with emotional fulfillment. Then bless the item saying,

‘Inari be, ever with me.
By this stone [cloth] of red, let love be fed.
When at [on] my side, let love there abide.’

Put the stone in your pocket (so it’s at your side) and carry it when meeting with that special someone.”

(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)

“Fox Maiden” by Susan Seddon Boulet

“The Japanese rice Goddess liked to wrap herself in a fox’s body. Sometimes, too, She took the shape of a human woman in order to sleep with men, who had excellent crops as a result. One of these men, it was said, realized he was sleeping with the Goddess when he saw a long, furry red tail sticking out from beneath the blankets. He said nothing of it, and She rewarded his discretion by causing all his rice to grow upside down, thus bearing a full harvest that was exempt from the rice tax.

The legendary woman Tamamono-Maye, possibly an incarnation of Inari, lived at court and could change at will into a flying fox. An enemy, however, ended her power of transformation (and her life, some say) by confronting her with a mirror, which was powerful medicine against her magic” (Monaghan, p. 162).

“Inari” by Matthew Meyer

As stated in a previous entry (see June 9th Wakasaname-no-Kami), Inari is a very complex deity. “Inari has been depicted both as male and as female. The most popular representations of Inari, according to scholar Karen Ann Smyers, are a young female food Goddess, an old man carrying rice, and an androgynous bodhisattva…Inari is sometimes identified with other mythological figures. Some scholars suggest that Inari is the figure known in classical Japanese mythology as Ukanomitama or the Kojiki‘sŌgetsu-Hime; others suggest Inari is the same figure as Toyouke. Some take Inari to be identical to any grain kami.

Inari is often venerated as a collective of three deities (Inari sanza); since the Kamakura period, this number has sometimes increased to five kami (Inari goza). However, the identification of these kami has varied over time. According to records of Fushimi Inari, the oldest and perhaps most prominent Inari shrine, these kami have included Izanagi, Izanami, Ninigi, and Wakumusubi, in addition to the food deities previously mentioned. The five kami today identified with Inari at Fushimi Inari are Ukanomitama, Sarutahiko, Omiyanome, Tanaka, and Shi. However, at Takekoma Inari, the second-oldest Inari shrine in Japan, the three enshrined deities are Ukanomitama, Ukemochi, and Wakumusubi. According to the Nijūni shaki, the three kami are Ōmiyame no mikoto (water,) Ukanomitama no mikoto (grain,) and Sarutahiko no mikami (land.)” [1]

“Grismadevi’s themes are cycles, recreation, rest, summer and time. Her symbols are summer flowers, the color red and cups. The Buddhist Goddess whose name means ‘summer’ joins us to welcome the season and energize our efforts for Goddess-centered living. In works of art She often appears wearing the color red, the hue of life’s energy and carrying a cup offering refreshment to all in need.

On this day, people in Hong Kong take a much deserved reprieve from their labors to welcome summer and mark the halfway point in the year; we can do likewise today. This is a moment to pat yourself on the back for the magical goals you’ve attained thus far and the growing power of the Goddess within you.

Wear something red or flowery today to accent Grismadevi’s energies in and around your life. Drink red juices or eat red foods to internalize the vibrancy of summer and this Goddess. Suggestions include red grapefruit juice for purification, red peppers for zest, strawberry pie to partake in life’s sweet abundance, a tossed tomato salad for love (the dressings brings harmony), raspberries to protect your relationships and rhubarb for devotion.

FInally, leave a cup filled with reddish-colored liquid or a bouquet of fresh flowers on your alter or family table today to honor Grismadevi and welcome both Her and the summer sunshine into your home.”

(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)

The information that I found on today’s Goddess was very limited. Mythologydictionary.com states, “Grismadevi: Buddhist – A Goddess of summer. One of the attendants of Sri. She is sometimes depicted as having the head of an animal. Also commonly known as dByar-gyi-rgyal-mo or Tibetan dByar-gyi-rgyal-ma.” [1]

The Encyclopedia of Hinduism: C – G, Volume 2 states that She is a “seasonal Goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Also an attendant of Sridevi. Usually accompanied by a yak. Colour red. Attributes: axe and cup.” [2]

“Tesana’s themes are the harvest, light, fertility, abundance, hope, beginnings, growth, opportunity and restoration. Her symbols are the dawn, the color red and fruit. In Etruscan, Tesana means ‘dawn’. As the first rays of light begin to reach through the darkness, Tesana is there, offering the hope of a better tomorrow and the warmth of a new day. Through Her steadfast attendance, the earth and its people bear life and become fruitful.

Mnarja is the primary folk festival in Malta and originated as an orange and lemon harvest celebration. Then name Mnarja means ‘illumination’ and all the ritual fires ignited toady symbolically keep Tesana’s fertility burning. So, light a candle this morning at dawn’s first light to welcome Tesana and invoke Her assistance. Choose the color of the candle to reflect your goal: pink for hope, white for beginnings (a clean slate) and green for growth or restoration. If you like, also carve an emblem of your goal into the wax, leaving the taper to burn until it melts past the symbol (this releases the magic).

In a similar prolific tone, the customary food to encourage Tesana’s fertility and continuing good harvests today is rabbit. If this isn’t a meat you enjoy, make rarebit instead; this was a substitute for costly rabbits in the Middle Ages.”

(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)

“Eos’ Triumph” by eveningstars242

According to Thalia Took, “Thesan is the Etruscan Goddess of the Dawn, Divination and Childbirth, as well as a Love-Goddess. She is depicted on several Etruscan mirror backs, bearing, like many other Etruscan Goddesses, a great pair of wings from Her back, especially appropriate to a Sky-Goddess. One meaning of Her name is simply ‘Dawn’, and related words are thesi, ‘illumination’, and thesviti, ‘clear or famous’. The other meaning of Her name connects Her with the ability to see the future, for thesan also means ‘divination’, as seen in the related Etruscan word thesanthei, ‘divining’ or ‘brilliant’. This relates to Her function as a Dawn Goddess–for as the dawn illuminates what was previously dark, so divination throws light on the dark future and enables one to see what may happen. She is called by some a childbirth Goddess, as She is present at the beginning of the day, which finds its parallel in the beginning of a new baby’s life. Similarly, the Roman Goddess of Light and Childbirth, Lucina, brings the infant into the light of the world.

The Etruscans identified their Thesan with the Greek Goddess of the Dawn Eos. In the Greek legend, Aphrodite had found Eos in bed with Her lover Ares; to punish Eos She ‘cursed’ Her with an insatiable taste for mortal youths, and Eos became infamous for Her many lovers. The Etruscans seemed to quite like these stories and easily transferred them to their Dawn-Goddess Thesan; the stories depicted on the mirrors are generally straight out of Greek myth.

On one relief mirror back (kind of a rarity in Etruscan mirrors since the decoration on the back is almost always engraved rather than cast), Thesan is shown in the act of abducting Kephalos, a young man of Athens who was married to the King’s daughter, Procris. Thesan is winged here, and wears a chiton and diagonal himation that flow in the breeze; about Her head is a halo, to emphasize Her function as Light-Goddess. She runs off to the left carrying Kephalos in Her arms, who is shown as nude and much smaller than She is. He does not look at all distressed at the situation and He rests in Her arms with his right hand on Her shoulder. Like many depictions of Etruscan women and their lovers, She is shown as larger and therefore more important or powerful than the man: this has been taken as an indication of the high status of Etruscan women.

The same scene is depicted on a mirror handle in high relief openwork; Kephalos is again quite a lot smaller (and younger) than Thesan, who is not winged this time, but whose cloak billows behind Her in the breeze. She smiles down at young Kephalos as She lifts him up, and he is nude save for a short cloak and hunting boots.

The so-called “Memnon pietà”: The goddess Eos lifts up the body of her son Memnon (Attic red-figure cup, ca. 490–480 BC, from Capua, Italy)

Another favorite scene of Thesan/Eos depicts a far more somber affair. When Her son Memnon (by Tithonus, another young man She abducted to be Her lover) was killed in the Trojan War, Eos grieved so terribly that She threatened never to bring forth the dawn again. She was finally persuaded to return, but in Her grief She weeps tears of dew every morning for Her beloved son. One mirror-back shows Her before Tinia (Zeus) with Thethis (Thetis), the mother of Achilles. Both Goddesses plead with Tinia to spare their sons’ lives; but both were already doomed to die. The relief mirror mentioned above has been interpreted by some as showing Thesan carrying off the body of Her dead son Memnon (who the Etruscans called Memrun): the figures are not labelled as is usual in Etruscan mirrors, making the differing interpretations possible.

Another more purely Etruscan depiction of Her shows Her with Usil the Sun God and Nethuns (the Roman Neptune), God of the Sea. It would appear that this mirror is to be symbolically read as the dawn preceding the Sun at daybreak as it rises from the Sea (notwithstanding the fact that Etruria is on the west coast of Italy).

Like more than a few Etruscan Goddesses, She seems to have survived into Tuscan folklore at least until the 19th century as a spirit called Tesana. She was said to visit mortals as they dreamt, in the time when the sun is rising but before the sleeper had yet awakened. She was believed to bring words of encouragement and comfort, and Her presence in a dream gave good fortune and blessings for the day.

“Pele’s themes are unity, tradition, protection, creativity and change. Her symbols are fire and red colored items. In Hawaii, Pele’s fires develop and redevelop the islands through volcanic activity. It is this creative force that comes into our lives today, cleansing, transforming and rebuilding, augmented by summer’s fiery energy. According to local legend, it is unwise to take any souvenir from Pele’s mountain without asking or leaving a gift, lest bad luck follow you everywhere. She is zealously protective of Her lands and Her children. Traditional offerings include coins, strawberries, hair, sugarcane, flowers, tobacco, brandy and silk.

King Kamehameha united the Hawaiian people, protecting commoners from the brutality of overlords, much as Pele unites them through Her creative, protective power. Kamehameha Day commemorates him and the traditions of Hawaii through arts and crafts, parades, hula dancing and luaus. At home, tis might translate into having some tropical foods served steaming hot (the heat represents Pele’s activating energy). For example, eat pineapple fried in brown sugar for sweet harmony. Or, consume fresh strawberries soaked in brandy to ignite your inner fires with Pele’s inspiration. Finally, wear something red today to energize Pele’s attributes in your efforts all day long.”

(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)

“Pele” by Hrana Janto

“Pele is the great Hawai’ian Volcano-Goddess, who is said to live within the crater of the volcano Kilauea, located on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Kilauea (whose name means “spreading”), has had 61 eruptions in historical times, including the one that began in 1983 and is still ongoing. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, perhaps THE most active. The area of Kilauea makes for more than 13% of the area of the island of Hawai’i, and the volcano has added more than 70 acres of new land since the current eruption began.

Pele is said to have originally come from Tahiti, fleeing the wrath of Her older sister Na-maka-o-kaha’i, whose husband Pele had seduced. When She arrived at the Hawai’ian archipelago She searched for a new home, but pursued by Her sister She was driven south and eastwards–which is also the order in which the islands were created, geologically, as the earth’s crust crept slowly over a fixed ‘hotspot’ in the earth’s interior. Na-maka-o-kaha’i, as Goddess of the sea and waters continually flooded Pele’s efforts to establish Her home, until finally the mountain of Mauna Loa on Hawai’i proved too large to be flooded, and Pele was able to make Her home there.

“Pele and Hi’iaka” by Linda Rowell Stevens

Pele has many brothers and sisters, but Her favorite is Her younger sister Hi’iaka (conceived in Tahiti, but was carried in the form of an egg to Hawaiʻi by Pele who kept the egg with Her at all times to incubate it), patroness of the hula, though they too quarrelled over a man. Pele is well-known for Her fiery temper and Her many lovers and rivals, quite a few of whom met unlucky and incandescent ends. She is still (not surprisingly) given much respect on the islands of Hawai’i, and traditionally She may be appeased by offerings of ‘Ōheloberries or gin.

Pele is said to appear in many forms–as a beautiful young woman, an athlete who competes against mortal chieftains, or a fiery-eyed old woman dressed in white. In this form, She has even acquired somewhat of an urban legend: the tale goes that drivers on the road that cuts through Kilauea National Park will sometimes come upon an old lady all in white. She bums a ride and a cigarette, but later, when the driver turns to speak to Her, She has vanished.

“Pele” by Susan Seddon Boulet

Also called: Madame Pele, Pele-honua-mea ‘Woman of the Sacred Land’, Pele-ai-honua ‘Eater of the Land’, Hina-hanaia’i-ka-malama ‘The Woman Who Worked in the Moon’, who is Pele in Her human form.” [1]

I included two videos for your listening and viewing pleasure today because I couldn’t choose between the two of them which I like more. This first one is set to a chant or prayer to Pele

And this video, “Keiki Hula Aia La `O Pele I Hawai`i” was just too cute not to post 🙂

“Ọba’s themes are protection, manifestation, movement, energy, restoration and flexibility. Her symbols is water. Ọba, is the Nigerian and Santarian Goddess of rivers, which figuratively represents the flow of time and life. Turn to Her for assistance in learning how to ‘go with the flow’, or when you need to inspire some movement in sluggish projects or goals.

Kuomboka is a holiday in Zambia that literally translates as ‘getting out of the water’. Due to the annual flood cycle, people must make their way to higher ground around this date. So consider what type of figurative hot water you’ve gotten into lately. Ọba stands ready to get you onto safer footing.

To encourage Her aid, take a glass half filled with hot water, then slowly pour in cold water op to the rim, saying:

(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)

"Three Yoruban Women" by Consuelo Gamboa

“Ọbais the Yoruba Goddess of rivers. She was the daughter of Yemaja and one of the consorts of Sàngó. Ọba represents the power of the flowing waters. The waters of the River Ọba bear Her name. She forms a triad with Her sisters Ọṣhun and Oya and provides the life-giving waters that are needed as drinking water and for irrigation. Ọba is venerated as a Goddess of love in Brazil but considered a guardian of prostitutes in parts of Africa.

Ọba is the heroine of a sad story that began with Her rivalry with Ọṣhun and Her efforts to obtain the exclusive love of their common husband. According to legend, Shango was the lover of Ọṣhun, but the husband of Ọba and Oya. Ọṣhun was his favorite because She was the best cook of the three. Ọba, jealous because She was the first and legitimate wife, asked Ọṣhun how She kept Shango so happy.

Ọṣhun, filled with resentment because Ọba’s children would inherit the kingdom, told Ọba that many years ago She had cut off a piece of Her ear, dried it into a powder, and sprinkled some on Shango’s food. This, She said, is what made him desire Her more than the others. So, Ọba went home and sliced off Her ear, stirring it into Shango’s food. When Shango began eating, he glanced down he saw an ear floating in the stew. Thinking that Ọba was trying to poison him, he drove Her from the house. Grieving, She fell to earth and became the Ọba River which intersects with the Oṣun river at turbulent rapids, a symbol of the rivalry between the two wives where She is still worshipped today.” [1]

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